


The Griffin, The Wicther and The Hunter

by prompom



Series: Wicther AU [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Animal Death, M/M, Magic, Mentions of Animal Torture, Monster Hunters, Witcher AU, semi detailed descriptions of corpses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23352094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prompom/pseuds/prompom
Summary: Gladiolus, a witcher, comes into contact with a dangerous creature on his way into a village. The only person who can help is the isolated hunter who lives at the edge of the village.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum
Series: Wicther AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679590
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	The Griffin, The Wicther and The Hunter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lazunia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazunia/gifts).



> This is a birthday present for my dear friend Lahara, who has wanted a witcher au with her favourite pairing!

Gladio was surprised to say the least when he was in the process of riding to the nearest village when a griffin landed on the horse that was pulling the cart of the merchant in front of him. The merchant screamed and dived under his wagon. Gladio jumped off his horse and drew his silver sword, charging at the monster. The creature screeched and jumped into the air, carrying the horse's carcass between its talons. It flew away, blood dripping from the corpse as it left.

He sheathed his sword with a sigh and walked over to the cart. Gladio crouched down and peered at the cowering man. “It’s safe now.”

“Thank you good sir for scaring off that frightful beast.” the merchant said as he crawled out from under the wagon. He gave a sigh as he looked at what remained of his horse. “I wish my poor horse didn’t have to face that creature's wrath. May I ask your name?”

“Gladiolus. I’m a witcher.” Gladio awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as the man thanked him more and started to bow. “Are you okay getting to the village?”

“Yes, thank you Mr. Witcher. It may take a little longer but I’m sure I will manage fine now that the monster has had its fill.”

Gladio jumped on his horse and proceeded to the village, hoping to see a bounty on the noticeboard for the griffin. It was rather unusual to see one attacking on a road like that, so he surmised that it must have been causing trouble for a while. It was also rather odd because griffin’s usually lived on higher ground and this was the flattest ground for at least twenty miles. They also rarely attacked people, rather sticking to livestock if they were going to altercate with humans at all.

The first thing Gladio noticed on the message board was the bounty for the griffin. For a measly two hundred gold pieces. He sighed but plucked the bounty off anyway. He couldn’t leave knowing this monster was going to continue causing trouble. He could always harvest several of its body parts to sell to an alchemist or witch. The tongue and liver were particularly valuable.

As he needed a bit more information to try and work out the griffin’s territory, he decided to ask around the village for a little more information. Mostly he just heard superstitious drivel but one old man mentioned that someone had found the mangled remains of a platoon of soldiers in the woods the week before and it was shortly after that the griffin made itself more known in the area. Gladio tried to push for more answers, but the man refused to speak of this mysterious person further and spat on the floor everytime Gladio mentioned them again, so he just gave up.

He gave a half defeated sigh and turned around. He noticed a gaggle of children watching him. Children were a lot more observant than most adults took them for, and were also a lot easier to bribe. One of the children stood in the front of the group when Gladio approached. She crossed her arms and stared at him defiantly. “What do you want?”

“Information.” Gladio grunted. “Some soldiers were killed in the woods a week ago. Do you know anything about that?”

“Maybe. What will you give me for it?”

“Ten gold.”

The girl held out her hand and Gladio deposited the coins in it. “The hunter who lives in a cottage at the edge of the woods found them.” She pointed in a northerly direction. “The elders say he’s got a sickness but he seems nice. He grows pretty flowers and taught us to make them into crowns.”

Gladio thanked the girl and made his way to where she indicated. The cottage was a fair distance away from the village. The girl was right about the flowers. A lot of brightly coloured plants grew outside the house, but to Gladio’s trained eyes he saw them for what they really were; powerful alchemical ingredients. He supposed that the hunter may have known the function of the plants from just general knowledge, but it wasn’t a skill that most people picked up.

He focused his senses and spotted a fresh set of footprints leading away from the cottage into the woods. Gladio followed them, making sure to keep his hearing sharp to detect any potential danger. He saw the hunter before he heard him, which was very unusual. Most people couldn’t move that quietly. He suspected that there was something more to this hunter than met the eye.

The hunter turned and narrowed his eyes in Gladio’s direction. “What do you want?”

“To know about the soldiers.” Gladio answered quickly, trying to learn as much about this man as possible with a quick look. He was fair and had pale skin that was dotted with freckles. He came from the north and spent a lot of time outside. His grey tunic and leggings were finely made but worn, same as his boots. He was slim but looked strong. He must have been to pull the bow in his hands, which was skillfully wrought. When Gladio walked closer he saw his eyes were impossibly blue. Even though very suspicious, he was also one of the prettiest men that Gladio had ever seen.

“What about the soldiers?” 

“Where were they? Were they eaten or just killed? What did their wounds look like?”

The hunted stared at him for a second. “The bodies are still there. The villagers think the woods are cursed so they won’t come in. I reported the attack to the local encampment but they didn’t seem particularly bothered.”

“Can you show me where?”

The man nodded. “Sure.”

They walked deeper into the woods. Gladio could hear signs of wildlife all around them. “What’s your name?”

The hunter hesitated for a moment. “Prompto.”

“I’m Gladio.”

Prompto glanced back. “A witcher?”

“Yes.”

“I could tell. You have the two swords and the cat eyes. Where did you train?”

“School of the bear.” Gladio replied. “How do you know so much about witcher’s?”

The blonde man laughed. “I’ve known some witchers in my time.”

“How? You can’t be much more than twenty.”

“My dear witcher, I’m flattered but I’m a lot older than I look.”

Gladio nwas about to ask how old he was when they stumbled across the scene. The ground was torn up and the bodies were completely mangled. Gladio walked closer and made note of the tearing slashes. This was definitely griffin claws. But he noticed there were no marks from the beak, which meant they hadn’t been eaten. Just killed. And from the ferocity of the attack, they had definitely done something to make the creature extremely angry.

He sharpened his vision and spotted the telltale signs of heavy boots walking down from the shallow mountain. It would make sense for a griffin to have a nest up there. They had obviously invaded it’s territory, making the creature angry. Gladio would need to find the nest to find out more about the creature.

“You can leave now if you want.” Gladio told Prompto.

“I think I would like to stay and help out how I can.”

“A griffin is a dangerous creature.” Gladio warned him.

Prompto brandished his bow. “I’m very good with this.”

“I’m not looking after you if you get in danger.” Gladio said, knowing full well he would.

“Of course, lead the way.”

It was a fair walk to the mountain, and once at the peak, it was obvious griffin territory. He could see the telltale territory markers made by sharp claws. As they walked further, the smell of decay started to fill the air. That itself was odd. Griffin’s usually kept their nests tidy. They walked over the ridge and they were greeted by the sight of a dead griffin, lying in the nest.

Gladio crept cautiously forward and spotted two cubs, also slashed with swords lying dead next to their parents. He crouched down and made several observations. The first was that the dead griffin was a female and as they mated for life, the one that was flying around and causing a nuisance of itself was probably her mate. Also, the creature had no defensive wounds, suggesting it had been slipping before the soldiers had attacked it. The cubs were covered in cuts, indicating that the soldiers had torted the poor creatures. Gladio couldn’t help but feel like the soldiers deserved their deaths. If the griffin had just killed the soldiers, Gladio would have left it but because it was now attacking innocent people, he had to end its reign of terror.

When he looked up, he saw Prompto was giving the scene the same critical eye that Gladio had.

“They tortured the young?” Prompto asked.

Gladio nodded.

“Sick bastards got what they deserved.”

“That they did. The mother was sleeping when they attacked. Most likely they had heard about the nest and decided to eradicate it. I doubt these griffin’s even went into human territories. These woods are filled with prey.”

“I’ve never seen the other one before this week, and I’ve been here for nearly five years.”

Gladio nodded, his suspicions correct. “I don’t want to kill the male, but it’s out of control now.”

“I understand.”

They turned to leave but gladio heard a screech from above them that he immediately recognised as a griffin cry. “Get down!” he shouted, grabbing Prompto by the back of the tunic and dragging him to the ground. The griffin’s claws missed them by inches as it soared over them.

Gladio jumped up and drew his silver sword, rushing at the creature. “Try to shoot it out of the air!” Gladio shouted at the hunter behind him.

He heard an arrow whistle through the air and with deadly accuracy, the arrow hit the creature in it’s left wing shoulder. It screeched in pain, soaring to the ground. It landed heavily and immediately bounded towards the two men. Gladio jumped forward and blocked the blow with his sword.

Gladio managed to block its attacks for several minutes, even managing to land a solid blow to the creature's right flank. The cut dripped blood whenever the monster moved. The wound made it more cautious. He saw the intelligence in the creature's eyes just before it made its next move. It swiped with its left talons, then before Gladio could properly block the blow, it reared back on its back legs and swiped with his right claws too. Gladio stumbled backwards to try and avoid the slashing blow, and the creature used the opportunity to hit him with it’s powerful right wing, definitely cracking a few ribs from the feel of it, and knocking him to the ground. The fall made Gladio lose his grip on his sword.

The griffin let out a triumphant roar and reared up on its back legs again, readying for a crushing blow that would cave his chest in and kill him instantly.

He heard the cry of his name and suddenly, Prompto was between them, holding his hands out towards the creature. Gladio was expected to see the hunter ripped to shreds in front of him, but a shimmering forcefield blocked the blow. 

Magic.

Prompto was a mage.

The monster stumbled back and stared warily at the hunter, not sure about how to deal with this new phenomenon. Prompto spoke, the air shook with the power behind his incantation. The world went still for a heartbeat, then a fireball shot out of Prompto’s outstretched hands. The griffin’s smoldering corpse fell to the ground. 

Prompto was shaking slightly and hadn't moved since the attack. Gladio cautiously got to his feet, picking up and sheathing his sword as he stood. Gladio glanced around and saw all the vegetation around them were dead and black. The cost of magic.

Just as Gladio stood fully upright, Prompto fell backwards. Gladio caught him and lowered him gently to the floor. Prompto’s pale skin had a greyish hue to it and there was blood dribbling out of his nose. He wiped it with a shaky hand and let out a humourless laugh. “I haven’t used magic like that in a while.”

“Clearly.” Gladio answered. He waited until a bit of the colour had returned to the mage’s face before he started his questioning. “Who are you really?”

He was silent for a long while before he answered. “My name is really Prompto, but people used to call me Argentum.” 

Gladio knew that name. He was the court wizard for the high king but had disappeared and no one spoke of it. There were rumours that the wizard was having an affair with the prince of the castle and had subsequently been forced out of service and banned from the castle and it’s grounds. THe prince had died in suspicious circumstances afterwards, and the talk that came from the castle had suggested it was suicide after the King tried to force him into a political marriage. But this was a hundred years ago, when Gladio was a freshly graduated witcher.

“I know that name.” Gladio said softly.

Prompto scoffed and wiped his blood face again. “Many people do. I normally leave when people work it out. These people were already getting suspicious, as I haven’t aged at all in five years.”

“Is that why they say you’re cursed?”

“That’s a completely different story. They didn’t take it kindly when they caught me with a travelling bard who came through the village. Not too poorly that they don’t accept food from me when there’s a hard winter though.”

“Do you need help getting back to your cottage?” Gladio asked. 

“I should be okay in a few minutes.” True to his word, within ten minutes, the mage was back on his feet, albeit a little wobbly. “You don’t have to wait with me Gladio.”

“I couldn’t leave you in this state with a good concious.”

Prompto laughed. “And they say witchers are heartless beasts.”

“They say a lot of untrue things about witchers. Mages too.” Gladio pointed out.

“You’re right there.”

It took them a lot longer to walk back to the cottage than it took them to get to the mountain on account of Prompto’s exhaustion and Gladio’s injuries.

Gladio was prepared to leave once they got back to the cottage, but Prompto beckoned him inside. “I can see you’re injured and the least I can do after you saw me home is give you medical attention.”

He wouldn’t say no to the medical attention, he wasn’t sure how well he could strap up his ribs on his own.

When the door was closed, Prompto helped Gladio out of his leather jerkin and black shirt. He hissed in pain whenever he had to move his arms. He looked down and saw his chest already had some particularly spectacular bruising on it. Gladio grunted as Prompto ran his hand along the bruises. “It’s cracked, not fully broken. At least two ribs.”

“I thought so.”

Prompto went into another room and came back with a length of cloth, drinking from a hip flask. He handed the flask over to Gladio, who drank a mouthful of the bitter liquid inside. He felt energised and the sharp pain in his ribs turned to a dull throb. Prompto indicated for him to lift his arms and wrapped the cloth tightly around his chest. “That should do it until the cracks are healed dear witcher. You may not want to get into any fights before then.”

Gladio gave a dry laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Prompto pressed the flask into his chest when Gladio tried to return it. “Keep it. It’s a potion that gives you energy and dulls pain.”

“I felt that.”

Prompto smiled. It was warm, like the sun. “I guessed that.”

“Thank you Prompto.”

Prompto helped him get his shirt back on. “There we go.”

Gladio inclined his head. “Let me know if I can ever repay you.”

Prompto went onto tiptoes and kissed Gladio gently. His lips tasted like sweet summer berries. Gladio wanted nothing more than to hold the mage in his arms and kiss him senseless, so he did just that. When he pulled away, Prompto was smiling softly. “Consider your debt paid witcher.”

Gladio blinked and suddenly Prompto was gone. Gladio looked around, but he was completely vanished. Still a little dazed, Gladio gathered up hisA jerkin and left the cottage.

**Author's Note:**

> I might add to this au, depending on the response and my motivation!


End file.
